Don't listen to "Phantom Gourmet"'s Andleman brothers, this place is average at best! That show has more corruption that Chicago did in the 1930's and will sacrifice any ounce of dignity for a bit of advertising money. The Halfway Cafe is average. The food is average, the prices are average and the service is average. It always reeks of popcorn which I find utterly annoying. They always give people free popcorn. I don't want it, yet I still get it. I'd rather not have it at all if it meant not having to smell it while I'm trying to eat. I've been there multiple times due to it's proximity with a nearby golf driving range and every time I've been there... well, I haven't been completely disappointed, but not completely amazed either. I just wish they tried a bit harder... The food is just so basic and blend. It's sad really because they have a great location and there's a ton of street parking. What a shame read more

Lively, friendly, inexpensive and geat beer selection. It's no wonder that the phantom likes this place. Whether sitiing at the bar or at a table, this place is quick, attentive and affordable. There are plenty of televisions for sports fans--they never take their customers for granted. Cute-comfy and fun. I've only been to the one in Dedham but I can see why they have several locations. read more

Good. Cheap. Fast. These three words describe most of my recent dates, but also my last couple experiences at the Halfway Cafe. I went in on a Friday night, and while the place was busy, my friend and I got a table fairly quickly. They sat us down with a bowl of salty popcorn, which honestly was a bit too salty -- but, honestly, it's better that way ... The waitress was prompt, polite, and quickly got our drinks and took our order. I ordered a special combo: steak tips and boneless buffalo wings. It was (I think) $8.99. Came with fries. My buddy ordered a burger. My tips 'n' wings were really good. Surprisingly so. Their wings were spicy and flavorful but not dripping in sauce and not over-battered. The tips had a great flavor, and were cooked medium-rare. Nice and pink in the middle. And my drink was refilled without asking. My pal's burger looked good too, all bacon and bley cheesy. He wouldn't share. Neither would I. Dinner for two came to less than $20. We walked away full and happy. It's not at all gourmet, but for a quick neighborhoody type place, I'll be back... read more

Tiny little place with an interesting menu. They have the most limited selection of whiskey and scotch that I have ever seen in a bar. They basically stock a couple of low end whiskeys plus a bottle of Jameson. Service is excellent. Their staff is super prompt, friendly and accommodating. The fried pickles are excellent as is their 10" pizza. Portions are a bit over the top for me. My guess is that with a bit of effort they could push this place up a star or two. Definitely does not have a chain feel thankfully. read more

We stopped here to try it out because we heard great things about it. We were pleasantly surprised. We had an awesome server who was very fast and friendly with everything. Place is cute in that kind of townie bar/pub way. The food was very good, I would go back here again just for the fried pickles! read more

Zero stars if possible. Returned after declining quality of food. Had nachos with tomatoes that had somehow come in contact with cleaner. Bland food, questionable table service. Very upset intestinal tract after. No more half price wings on sundays either. Order boneless wings (because thats their new sunday special thats not that great of a special) anyway, little chunks of chicken that tasted and looked as if fried in Wicked old oil. YUCKY poopoo. read more

Horrible pub food. Honestly our second time back and we really wanted to enjoy it. Nachos were sub par and cheese was congealed not melted; toppings were sparse, not enough salsa or sour cream. Potato skins were awful; old potato and cold. Burgers were not as good as Five Guys!! Oh, the Popcorn was inedible--SUPER salty! They aren't friendly like Canton, either. read more

This is listed as a pizza joint, which is pretty far off. The Dedham Halfway Cafe is the original and one of my favorite places in the world. This is what Chilli's / Applebees wishes they could be. It's a tiny place and they have so much crap on the walls that it spills over onto the ceilings. This place feels comfortable and perfect. Me and a few guys from work have been going once a week for lunch, maybe a year now? I love being able to go in, sit down and have 2 bowls of popcorn and 4 beers in front of us before we even look at the menus. The staff is sassy and amazing. The food makes my stomache happy, 7 for $7 and $2.25 drafts make my wallet happy. read more

I have loved this place for 10+ years but it's slowly declined. It used to be a small great place to snag dinner and watch the game ( or play Trivia) but now it's extremely overpriced and the service is beyond slow. Just sad really, another local place is gone. read more

Good food, great service! Loved the chicken wings, nachos, and kids menu was a hit with our kids. Will be back for a weekend night out!

We were there this evening..The bartender mad me the most wonderful coconut martini. .amazing. .we both had their safari d o s which was the biggest and tastiest hot dog I ever had..i had fries my ho ey had their garlic parm frues..The server was so friendly always checking back prply..The bartender also was funny and charming..nice friendly place read more

Halfway Cafe - New American Near Me - Dedham, Massachusetts

Comfort food; comfortable, relaxed pub. Ate at the bar and the service was excellent (Chris = bartender.) Fresh salad and excellent boneless wings with honey BBQ (added buffalo sauce for more kick.) I'm a fan! read more

Good, not great. That pretty much sums up Halfway Cafe in a nutshell. Ok lets get to the pluses for Halfway. Numero uno on everyone's list and review is the price. Halfway is pretty cheap/reasonable for the area. The portions are on the average to above average size so you do get your money's worth on some dishes. Another good thing about Halfway is they do have some unique dishes on the menu that differentiate from the typical chain restaurants in the area. For example I had a Meatball Burger (this was on their 7 for $7 specials so this will be gone by next month) which was pretty good, very cheesy and had the right amount of spice. Now there are some negatives to Halfway. Big negative is the lack of parking. Halfway is near a few homes and they don't have driveways so most park on the street. Halfway does provide directions to some parking in the rear of the restaurant to people who ask, but come on they should find a way to improve this situation. Dedham is not downtown Boston. As much as popcorn is a mindless snack, I feel it is a very cheap looking snack. I know Halfway is trying to be kitschy and unique by offering it but last time I checked 99 Restaurant got that bag all wrapped up, maybe you should think of another free appetizer. The size of the restaurant is small and I feel they should have cut out at least one or two booths out so their prep area and kitchen window wasn't in full view of some patrons. You will know what I mean when you see this. With the lack of original places in the Route 1 area, Halfway is in my Friday lunch lineup but I am not excited when suggesting it as a place to go to. read more

We came in for the 1990 prices which was a great deal for the quality of food. The atmosphere was very much more of a sports bar then anything, which is fine with me. We got the Sampler Appetizer platter which was loaded with potato wedges, mozzarella wedges, wings, & nachos. More than enough for 2 people. We chose a bacon and onion pizza for our main course. This was so good. The pizzas are on the small size but it's a pub pizza and cheap enough to get a few if you have a large group of people, which would be kind of cramped in this very small location. So why the 3 stars? The service was a huge downfall. I understand it was mid day but you would think that the wait staff would still at least act like they were on the clock. Our food came out quick which was great, but after that everything was was slow, it even took us 10 minutes to get the attention of our servers to even take our payment at the end of the meal. Regardless of the poor service we will be back for the food which is top notch pub grub. read more

Great Food, knowledgeable staff, and friendly to everyone from regulars to first timers. A true neighborhood restaurant...

I don't usually fill-up on only 10 ounces of steak and mashed potatoes. In fact, I did a double take and had to ask my waitress, "Is this it?" because I've previously gotten gigantic portions at Halfway. But each bite was mouth-wateringly wonderful, and after a pint of Budweiser and a cocktail called "Flirting with Danger" I was feeling nice. I'd recommend trying the Margaritas, which are priced lower, around $5. They weren't brought up by the waitress, who understandably recommends the pricier specials and drinks. I love the free popcorn, and I believe Halfway is known for their fries? Pretty simple to park along the street as there is always ample room. I would give Halfway Cafe 5 stars for its convenience and failure to disappoint, but... -the customers are never ethnically mixed on the 10 occasions I've been there; in fact, some stare at me from time to time. -it's not as cheap as it was a couple years back, and the portions have gone down a bit. I still love it, even if being accompanied by a white person reduces the stares by one half. (Where are we--secluded, inbreeding, mountain land? No fault of Halfway Cafe's though.) read more

Ok i have been coming to this place for a while now and had 3 bad experiences. I really tried to like this place. I tried real hard. This is suppose to be a local sports bar with "good food cheap". Strike one My dinner companion got a completely different sandwich from what he ordered. I got a shrimp scampi off the 7 for 7. it was ok but it left me wanting more. Strike two Me and my girl went to the bar had several drinks matching each other. When we called for the tab it came to 7 drinks. Odd we ordered one for both of us when we got another round. And as I recalled it we only got 3 rounds. I protested but the bartender refused to remove the extra drink. We paid for it and left with out a fuss. Strike three your out I went to this place to watch the Bruins play. We sat at the bench opposite the bar. I was intently watching the Bruins game. A commercial came on and I started to talk to my friend. I turned back to continue to watch the game and the TV was changed to Track and Field. Me and several other guys objected to this. The bartender told us that the two people at the bar that just arrived wanted that TV switched. I even offered an alternative solution by putting another TV that was playing the same track and field to the Bruins. The bartender said "no" that was all. I had to watch the Bruins on the small tv in the corner. I am currently cutting up my Halfway Cafe Frequent Diner card. I will never go to this place again. EDIT: 1 star to 2 stars. Mananagement contacted me and was very friendly and professional in fixing the wrongs listed above.... I like that in a place. read more

I called three times to speak with a manager and have been told that someone was going to calm me back but no one ever does. I used to like it here and have always spoke very highly of the place read more

The Halfway Cafe is a great casual setting to grab a beer and pub food. My favorite location is the original on Washington Street in Dedham. My favorite is the buffalo chicken pizza, but I also enjoy the steak tips and burgers. The 7 for $7 specials are definitely something to try as well. While I prefer the Dedham location I find it hard to recommend the Canton site. It is a good location and offers outdoor seating in the Summer, but the staff there just don't seem to have good customer skills and the food is"meh" at best. We went there on a recent Sunday and I had the steaktips and she had the salmon. The tips were hard and overcooked and I don't know how long the fries were sitting under the heat lamp but they were just awful. The salmon was okay but the roasted carrots were rubbery and without taste. Luckily the waitress messed up on our bar order and gave us large beers instead of small so we got those for the small beer price. This was our 4th trip to the Canton site and probably our last. We'll stick with the Dedham site where we know we'll get the best food and service. read more

I love this place! It is a sports bar/ family dinner. It is family friendly. The staff is so attentive. At this location you get popcorn (free) as soon as you sit down. And the bowl is never empty. The wait staff are so kind and quick. The food is yummy, inexpensive and drinks are a good price too. It gets a little crowded sometimes but this place is awesome. read more

I have been going to the Halfway for many years now and I've always found the service to be excellent... it is the food that can sometimes be lacking. When I first started going there they had great juicy great burgers. You could tell they were homemade. If you order a burger now, when it arrives, it will look okay when you cut it in half, but when you bite it it is dry and chewy?! I can only assume that due to the economy they are now using frozen patties (and not very high quality ones). They used to have a great steak tip sandwich and a grilled smokehouse chicken sandwich... both have been removed from the menu. In fact, many of my favorite dishes are no longer on the menu. One thing I do like is pub pizza. They seem to have changed their dough recipe and now they are good again. It's a family friendly place with lots of stuff kids like to eat. I only eat here because the wait staff is nice. read more

My family loves to come to the Halfway- the popcorn makes little people better waiters. The food is great and I love the seven for $7. You are our go to restaurant when we want a quick, reasonable meal. read more

Just ordered the north end chicken parm with Penni took two bites and had to return it to the kitchen. It was by far the worst I have ever had in my life. It was way over the top spicy. I love spice and onions but this was terrible. It was a large portion but that's all I can say other than it should have been large for 14.99. Oh and I was going to get the fish and chips but after smelling the strong Oder of fish coming from the kitchen something tells me I am glad I passed on it. Go at your own risk. read more

This is a great little restaurant and bar. They don't have a huge menu but if you want a good meal and a beer, this is the place to go. I always hey chicken wings and they never disappoint read more

Hurts me to write this review . I have been dining at 1/2 way for the past 20 yrs. Noticed rest. was going down hill for the last few yrs eversince they opened the new locations. I ordered take out a few months ago and was very disappointed packaging was awful portions were small and food was cold. I e-mailed them my disappointment and received answer back that they didnt think they had a problem and their quality hasn't changed since they opened additional locations I let it go and continued going to the restaurants but refrained for ordering take out. Tonight I brought my family for dinner at the Dedham location and was really shocked the french fries, which used to be outstanding were under cooked.We ordered the nacho appetizer which now cost $9.99 was not only a small portion we had to send it back for more cheese only half the nachos had cheese on it . My son ordered chicken ceasar wrap (hard to mess up but he told me it had no taste. I ordered of the 8 for 8 special the sloopy joe sandwhich , which had a tablespoon of chopped pork on a small bun I got onion rings instead of the fries which was a $1.99 up charge. I could go on but don't want to kill them. Im just frustrated that my "Go to place' has given up. read more

The halfway cafe has the Best wings around and the free popcorn while you wait is a great touch .

I'm done with this place. Used to be great food at really great prices. Not sure what happened but the food keeps getting crappier and the prices keep going up. I paid like $9 for a grilled cheese and didn't get tomato on it, because that was another buck. The people are usually nice, so that's a plus, but like I said the value that used to be there is gone gone gone. Now you leave feeling kinda ripped off. Wings are good, but they changed the hot sauce awhile back and they aren't the same, just a lot more expensive. They used to have great specials and really good deals, but the prices are all jacked up now and they don't put much care into the food anymore. Just your average pub crap now. You can get way better food for a lot less at a Friday's or 99. Wouldn't bother with this place. (free popcorn is ALWAYS stale, btw!) Used to go the Watertown one and that one has gone downhill too! read more

I took my 4-year-old daughter here last year for dinner. Food was slow to arrive but not a big deal because we were having fun. About a third of the way through our meal my daughter needed to go to the bathroom. We both got up, walked past our server and the manager into the bathroom. Less than five minutes (probably about 3) later we came out of the bathroom to our table completely cleared and our food and drinks thrown away. WTF? Here's the kicker -- the god-awful manager only gave us a few dollars off our meal even after I protested. Because I didn't want my daughter to see me dress the guy down I paid the bill and walked out. Wow -- first time for everything. Some places are so obsessed with table turnover that they forget they're serving human beings. Never again. read more

Had the fish and chips , absolutely awesome , fried food is not my thing but wow !hand cut fries, and homemade slaw really enjoyed it !

The wait staff at this location is top notch....BUT...the management of these people is a joke. I've heard the manager/owner talk to the staff like trash. It was horrible. Waitstaff: QUIT and stop putting up with these bad people. OWNERS: QUIT trying to use these people to steal my money. read more

IPA REBEL hit the spot. Sunday for boneless chicken is delicious..our waitress was so out going the feeling was very welcome. I wish I got her name - I want to give her a shout out for good service. Thank you. #awesomeJob! read more

Visited halfway cafe last and it was great! We had the Buffalo tenders, garden salad with steak tips, and fish and chips. The steak tips were amazing, highly recommended! And the prices were very reasonable. read more

We ate here last night for the first time. Nice fall menu specials, the rest of the menu was simple, but everything we had was done extra deliciously. I was impressed. Had the Wing Tips and loved it with the steak tips having guiness bbq sauce and the chicken being buffalo sauced. My son had the teriyaki on the steak tips and it was also great. The mashed potatoes were SO light and tasty without being greasy or cloying. Nice waitress, good service. Two thumbs up. read more

I love it its cozy and feels like home, food is great i got the fish and chips i give it a four star just becuase of one thing,the wait time to get in I waited 15 minutes for a table and 20 minutes for a meal overall great service! read more

Good selection of beer, really yummy fries. Not too many vegetarian selections on the menu. I think the Halfway Cafe is a great place to take toddlers when you're teaching them how to behave in restaurants. It's a good stepping stone sort of place. It's very family friendly and servers are patient with kids. Also, kids eat free on Mondays & Tuesdays and my little guy really like the mac and cheese here (nothing special, could be generic Kraft, but he'll eat it). The highchair they offered us was one of those cloth clip-on ones, and it was very dirty. The Dedham one is pretty small and fills up fast! read more

We used to go to the original halfway in Dedham for years. They then expanded and opened in Canton. We rarely had a good meal in Canton am no longer went to Dedham. They closed Canton and went through some reorg. We have been going back to Dedham. We had one meal there and it was great, like the good old Halfway!!! Last night I picked up take out. We had the best boneless wings, the burger was great as well as the Reuben. The vibe was good. The bar was busy. Even for take out the customer service was on point. We are so glad the halfway in Dedham had found its way back!!!!! Congrats read more

The perfect model for a neighborhood restaurant or pub. Great menu. Delicious food. Great bar. Great decor. Lots of tv's. Friendly service. Fair prices. We just moved to the area and plan to go there once a week. Bravo! read more

Great Muscles! Great Popcorn! Great Drinks! Atmosphere was a little off but I guess that comes with the theme they trying to hold :-)

This place was once great but considering you can't even get a boneless chicken wing right I suggest they worry less about expanding and more about getting basic menu items right. 25 minutes to get an appetizer and the place was dead. Then the whole time waitress never even offered us a 2nd round of drinks read more

Food has always been good pub food. Service was good until last evening, when the assistant manager gave our party a difficult time about comping a beer that had spilled all over one of us because of the very wobbly table, which had not been fixed as promised by our waitress. The assistant manager, a dark-haired woman, brought a replacement beer, indicating that it was to be free. She later argued over why she should make a $6 (cost of the beer) accommodation. I explained that I was willing to accept this rather than submit my dry cleaning bills, or ask for a complete comp of a meal eaten in soggy beer-soaked clothes. In a loud voice, audible to everyone in the room, as she stomped off, she asked, "So you want ALL the beers for free?!?" She dumped the adjusted check on our table. When the waitress picked up our payment, she asked if we wanted a frequent diner card! The people at the next table, observing all of this, said they weren't coming back either. I have been in customer service for more than 30 years, and have found that if you ask a disgruntled patron what they feel is fair, they will almost always ask for something reasonable (and often less than what I would have been willing to offer). I think Halfway would be well served to follow this practice. read more